Cuyahoga County reports 350 applications to senior property-tax pilot; officials call for broader outreach

Cuyahoga County Treasurer Michael Cromes on Tuesday updated the County Council Finance and Budgeting Committee on a two-year taxpayer assistance pilot that offers one-time grants to older homeowners who are certified tax delinquent.

The program provides up to $10,000 in direct assistance to qualifying homeowners age 70 or older with annual incomes of $70,000 or less and pairs each grant with housing counseling from a HUD-certified counselor supplied through CHN Housing Partners. "The taxpayer assistance program is a 2 year pilot program that consists of a up to $10,000 one time grant to taxpayers who are already certified tax delinquent, who are over age 70, and who make $70,000 or less per year," Cromes said.

County staff said the program has a total two-year budget of $5 million: $2,000,000 per year for direct assistance and $500,000 per year for counseling and support. Funding comes from the delinquent tax assessment collection fund (DTAC). CHN Housing Partners processes applications through a nine‑page online portal, triages applicants, and delivers counseling and approval recommendations to the Treasurer's office.

Why it matters: Council members said the pilot targets aging homeowners at risk of losing homes because of tax delinquency and could inform a broader policy approach if the county finds sustainable funding sources. Officials described the pilot as an early intervention that can connect taxpayers to other delinquent‑tax tools and county services.

What county staff reported: As of the midyear update, the treasurer's office had received 350 applications. Of those, committee materials show 26 files with an administrator, 104 filed with a counselor, about 60 applications not yet touched, and roughly 160 withdrawn for a range of reasons. The county has distributed $419,000 in direct assistance to date, roughly 20% of the annual direct‑assistance goal. Staff estimated that, after processing the remaining applications that are in review, the program could reach about 40% of its first‑year allocation.

Common reasons for withdrawal include documentation gaps and the tax balance not yet being certified delinquent; staff said many withdrawn cases are likely to become eligible in the third quarter when additional tax accounts become certified. The program requires certification of delinquency — defined by staff as failure to pay taxes through a full collection cycle — before applicants become eligible.

Operations and partnerships: Applicants must apply through CHN's portal; if approved CHN notifies the Treasurer's office, which issues payment. Recipients must complete HUD‑certified housing counseling that assesses whether an applicant can be brought current and remain current going forward. County staff said they are improving real‑time data sharing with CHN to shorten processing times and are developing referral forms with the Department of Senior and Adult Services (DSAS) to build an alternate pipeline of applicants.

County staff also said they are in early discussions with John Carroll University to use student data‑science projects to better match tax records with age and income indicators to identify eligible homeowners who might not otherwise apply.

Penalty handling and related assistance: The Treasurer said the county applies a 10% penalty for late payments during its collection process; if a resident applied before a penalty was applied and is subsequently approved for the program, the office will administratively remove the penalties so there should be no financial impact to the taxpayer. Staff emphasized the program is not a guarantee of full relief for every applicant and that some applicants may instead be referred to delinquent‑tax payment contracts or other tools.

Council reaction and follow up: Council members asked whether the age threshold (70) and income cap ($70,000) might be reexamined to reach more people; Cromes said the 70/70 figure originated in a County Auditors Association proposal and that staff would review parameters after the pilot's first year. Members also pressed staff on outreach and on coordination with the prosecutor's delinquent tax outreach team, which staff said is already collaborating on referrals.

Next steps: Staff said the next formal update to Council is scheduled for October; they are also exploring additional funding sources to reduce reliance on the DTAC fund and will continue outreach to withdrawn applicants as some accounts reach certified‑delinquent status.

Ending: Committee members praised the program's counseling requirement and cross‑agency collaboration and urged continued monitoring of eligibility thresholds and funding options.